Woodfire Grill- The Review

When you’re the girlfriend of a thespian, you accept that you’ll be without him most evenings, all weekends, and always on Valentine’s Day (a prime night for theatre-goers looking for romance delivered via the full-text version of Romeo and Juliet).

So, this year we opted to celebrate cupid a few nights early at Woodfire Grill. Helmed by chef Michael Tuohy, Woodfire emerged as an Atlanta standout in the local/organic/seasonal foods movement not long after its 2002 opening. Despite it’s proximity to strip clubs and adult video stores on Cheshire Bridge Rd., Woodfire’s interior immediately takes you to a cozy, California wine-country cottage, with a blazing open hearth and antiqued wooden benches. Candle and torch light illuminate the intimate main dining room, while several private rooms with curtains drawn and an upstairs loft (used, I was told, for special events) frame the space.

The menu has undergone some recent changes and our server explained that the “small plates” are now larger than before. Well, some of them. Out starter of prosciutto di parma and bra tenero with shaved fennel, olives and arugula featured three, extra-thin slices of the pork and four dots of the piquant and creamy bra tenero cheese. Tasty, but tiny. Also, the fennel was mysteriously absent… Hugely different (and I do mean hugely), was a fritto misto of calamari, white fish and shrimp (which was unlisted but a very happy surprise). The hefty dish came with a bland aioli on the side and flash fried slivers of onion, lemon (that pared particularly well with the seafood) and capers. I made a mental note to look into this fried lemon concept further.

Getting full, we pressed on to the main course, opting for two large plates instead of several more small ones. The wood-grilled free-range chicken was just as I remembered—impossibly juicy with crispy, flavorful skin that there is never enough of. Accompanied by steel pan greens and a mild salsa verde, this dish was both healthful and filling. My date’s wood-grilled ribeye (locally procured) with fingerling potatoes and black truffle butter had a high and a low point. High—the butter that melted down over the seared crust of the meat, infusing it with a surprisingly light truffle flavor that enhanced the beef without overwhelming it. Low—the ribeye itself came out barely room temperature. Strange, given that the restaurant wasn’t even half full and our table was with in eyesight of the wood burning grill. The date commented that the potatoes were nice but nothing special until they too met that magical truffle butter.

In both of my visits to Woodfire Grill, the service (from the valet to the host to the wait staff) has been attentive, friendly and spotlessly professional. Even on a crowded night, you’ll feel as though every employee is aware of your presence and is aiming to please. It would almost be eerie if it wasn’t such a refreshing change from the “you need us more than we need you” attitude that seems to be a trend in upscale restaurants. Woodfire Grill offers not only happy-to-serve staff, but also local and organic food you can feel good about eating (and not terrible about paying for). Book it for a date night now.